UK

The street food chain took two awards at the 2016 Urban Food Awards, picking up the prizes for both “Sustainable Streetfood” and a new award recognising their innovative use of surplus food.

Saiphin Moore and the team behind Rosa’s Thai Cafe announced the launch of Lao Café, a permanent version of the successful pop-up they ran at their Gillingham Street site in 2015.

The fast food chain unveiled its new menu which includes an exclusive new dish, made in collaboration with professional chef, food writer and TV presenter, Gizzi Erskine.

In August, the average British household spent £229 on out of home leisure, a £7 (3%) increase year-on-year and a £20 (10%) increase month-on-month, according to the latest leisure spend tracker report by Greene King.

Data from the NPD Group has revealed how pubs stand for over 10% of all out of home traffic in Great Britain. In real terms, this represents 1.3 billion visits in the year ending June 2016. Fiscally, the importance of pubs is even greater as £10.3 billion is spent in pubs every year. This means that almost 1 in every £5 spent out of home are spent in Pubs.

PETA expanded the fourth annual Vegan Food Awards to include 24 categories, with Pret A Manger, Zizzi, and JD Wetherspoons among the winners.

According to an article by the Evening Standard, desperate fans of the American burger brand were paying £100 in an attempt to get an In-N-Out Burger at the pop-up restaurant.

The company announced a £238,000 restaurant makeover at its Bristol Longwell Green Hut, creating six new jobs for the area, with more opportunities in the near future.

The Mexican food chain joined forces with local Peterborough four piece; Airways, to welcome student back to Sheffield by hosting a local gig.

Research from guest experience management experts, HospitalityGEM, has indicated that a significant proportion of guests (42%) would choose to call and book a Christmas party, rather than book online or walk in.

In the European high-yield casual dining sector, Mabel Mezzco Limited's (Wagamama, B2 positive) credit metrics outpaced its peers PizzaExpress Financing 1 plc (Pizza Express, B3 stable), Stonegate Pub Company Limited (Stonegate, B2 stable) and Financiere Quick S.A.S. (Quick, B3 stable), according to a new report by Moody's Investors Service.

The industry’s voluntary agreement The Courtauld Commitment 2025, brokered by not-for-profit organisation WRAP, announced that 30 new signatories had joined the ten year commitment to reduce the resource intensity of the UK’s food and drink.

The announced shortlist of contenders for the Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year features ten MSC certified chippies from the 20 contenders selected for the semi-finals.

SIX steps to creating your own Coffee Brand Perfection.

Ribs & Burgers is well known in Australia, where they have amassed a loyal following. Part of the Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group, they are now setting their sights beyond Australia's shores, opening up their first UK outlet in Teddington. Sitting down with QSR Media, they share what sets them apart, and the ambitious plans they have for the UK.

Here is a summary of the most interesting QSR news stories of the week from around the world.